Tired of people asking if it's a Hybrid. "ELECTRIC" badges installed

Since 2012 I've been espousing EV's as a way to help stop the oil barons from buying us the best government they can buy, while using our money.

So, this is a minor detail but to further people's realization of EV's around them I made a small addition to my Leaf. The badges on the Leaf that say "Zero Emissions", I believe are meaningless to the average driver. There are all sorts of cars that say things like "ultra low emissions vehicle" etc. Well, take any of those cars into your garage, close the garage door, run the engine and you are dead all the same.

The way the Leaf comes from Nissan, nowhere on the Leaf does it say "Electric". So, to fix that, I removed the badges on the two front doors that say "Zero Emissions" and replaced them with "Electric". I think the car also looks better with these.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/322178870506?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

On the back of the car where people at red lights tend to read the badges on cars, I placed the bolder "Electric" smack in the middle of the hatchback door. Though I now wish I had removed the "zero emission" badge on the right side of the hatch and placed the "electric" badge to the right.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221296605041?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Sorry, I can not figure out how to include images!

Looks nice, I agree on the back replacing the Zero Emissions may have looked nicer, still OK though.
I kind of agree about the 0 E wording, I mean a neighbor has a Subaru SUV and it has a big PZEV badge with a leaf next to it. I've never seen him plug it in(I believe it's just a hybrid and not plug-in hybrid) and no way I'd want to get in a closed garage with that thing running
I assume it means it's partial zero emission(kind of like alternate facts ) and like our Prius can run a mile or so or coast without emissions.....seems a bit of a stretch to me.

jjeff said:

Looks nice, I agree on the back replacing the Zero Emissions may have looked nicer, still OK though.
I kind of agree about the 0 E wording, I mean a neighbor has a Subaru SUV and it has a big PZEV badge with a leaf next to it. I've never seen him plug it in(I believe it's just a hybrid and not plug-in hybrid) and no way I'd want to get in a closed garage with that thing running
I assume it means it's partial zero emission(kind of like alternate facts ) and like our Prius can run a mile or so or coast without emissions.....seems a bit of a stretch to me.

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Haha...that's funny about the Subaru. I notice that Subaru PZEV sticker every time I am behind one. I think it might mean "practically zero emission vehicle", or something like that. You'd still be dead in a closed garage. It really tweaks me here in California as there are a lot of Subarus with mileage robbing roof racks and pods, full of environment bumper stickers. But you know, bumper stickers mean nothing if you are still pumping that poison into your tank. And shame on Subaru, they promote their "environmental, outdoorsey" image in their promotions but do they build even one EV?

In my case, I have been driving a Model S since early 2013. I bought this Leaf a few months ago and I have been loaning it out to friends and friends of friends. I also rent it occasionally on Turo. I know of 6 people now who have bought EV's due to trying my Leaf. Most have bought used Leafs as they are easy to pick up here in California for cheap. Last guy bought a 2013 with 12 bars and only 17k miles for $7200. I also bring the Leaf to any events around here where folks can test drive EV's.

I've only had my Leaf since November and have had several people ask how far it goes before it switches to gasoline. I don't have the electric badges on my car but I always get that question after I personally just told the person outright that it's an electric car. This is my conversation with about 75% of most people that ask about the car.

Them: "Wow! Why is your car so quiet?"

Me: "Because it's an electric car."

Them: "Oh! So how many miles can it go before it switches to gasoline?"

Me: "Um... It runs only off of electricity. There is no engine in it to burn any type of fuel."

Them: "Cool! I didn't know that these existed! So how does it do in the snow?"

Big deal now it is an electric hybrid :roll: People 50 years from now will still ask the same dumb questions.

When I drove a diesel car (that confession will probably get me banned from this forum :lol: ) lots of people would say, "Man! Your car sounds like a diesel!" And I would reply, "That's because it is a diesel." And then most people would think I was only making that up until I showed them the "Diesel Fuel Only" sign.

Same with telling people that my 1972 VW Beetle didn't have a radiator either. Or that my 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook was a manual with the lever on the column.

Here's an idea! Take any friend of yours that thinks your Leaf is a hybrid and have him help you find the fuel cap at a gas/petrol station. Or ask him to Google what octane your supposed to use.

jjeff said:

Looks nice, I agree on the back replacing the Zero Emissions may have looked nicer, still OK though.
I kind of agree about the 0 E wording, I mean a neighbor has a Subaru SUV and it has a big PZEV badge with a leaf next to it. I've never seen him plug it in(I believe it's just a hybrid and not plug-in hybrid) and no way I'd want to get in a closed garage with that thing running
I assume it means it's partial zero emission(kind of like alternate facts ) and like our Prius can run a mile or so or coast without emissions.....seems a bit of a stretch to me.

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Actually, PZEV means none of those things. Your neighbor's Subaru is not a Plug-in Hybrid, and I virtually guarantee it's not a Hybrid at all.

There are many types of emissions that can come from a vehicle. In this case, it means that there are zero (none, nada) evaporative emissions. There are plenty of other emissions from actually burning the fuel (including CO, which will be the first to kill you in an enclosed garage).

Evaporative emissions are the result of gasoline vapors escaping from the vehicle's fuel system

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_zero-emissions_vehicle

Of note, PZEVs qualify for a certain number of CARB ZEV credits.

^^^ interesting, thanks for the explanation and link. So it sounds like the PZEV and little leaf decal is mostly a numbers game, shame on companies for basically trying to work around CARB credits. This reminds me of something I heard a long time ago, Bush II era I believe where it was basically said that companies don't need any regulation, they'll do whats right even without regulations :? of course in this case we have the regulations but companies find ways around them

I didn't think my neighbors Subaru was Hybrid and when I asked them they didn't seem to know themselves, they probably just liked the cute little leaf emblem on the back.....
https://www.google.com/search?q=pzev+emblem&espv=2&biw=1360&bih=676&tbm=isch&imgil=95mDBvqw2AtXJM%253A%253BGm4smgl7RIF6DM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fforums.focaljet.com%25252Fshowthread.php%25252F584420-Where-to-find-a-PZEV-badge&source=iu&pf=m&fir=95mDBvqw2AtXJM%253A%252CGm4smgl7RIF6DM%252C_&usg=__VSoldvUw85ux1Gg77nikiWp1vsk%3D&dpr=1&ved=0ahUKEwjDmajN86PSAhWrzIMKHdejC9YQyjcIPw&ei=n56tWIPOMauZjwTXx66wDQ#imgrc=95mDBvqw2AtXJM:

This is why I added the "100% Electric" lettering to the car.

GetOffYourGas said:

Actually, PZEV means none of those things.

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Yeah, that always bugged me...
Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle??

Not sure how something can be partially 0... ;-)

(Yes, I know what it means, and I like Subaru.. I just think the PZEV thing is silly..)

desiv

jlv said:

This is why I added the "100% Electric" lettering to the car.

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I just got my Leaf last week... I'm planning on getting my EV plate soon. Gotta watch the RMV website to see how the Watertown lines look.

It is tempting to pick up one of those 100% Electric badges. It would be nice for it to be more publicized on the car.